1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to medical diagnostic devices. More specifically, this invention is directed to a system and method for evaluating the circulatory system of a living subject.
2. Description of Related Art
Some circulatory ailments that cause high blood pressure, such as arteriosclerosis, are discovered by measuring the subject's blood pressure with a blood pressure measurement apparatus. One such blood pressure measurement apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Application No. 6-292660.
The blood-pressure measurement device measures the blood pressure of a living subject using a cuff that is wrapped around a portion of the living subject. The cuff applies pressure to the living subject. The living subject's blood pressure is measured using a well-known oscillometric method, which is based on detecting changes in the amplitude of a synchronous wave pulsation as the pressure applied by the cuff is gradually released.
Although a blood pressure measurement is effective in discovering the existence of high blood pressure in a living subject, it is not an effective method for evaluating improvement in the underlying cause of the living subject's high blood pressure brought about by dietary treatments. Blood pressure measurement is not effective in evaluating the effects of dietary treatment on the circulatory ailment because high-blood-pressure patients typically take blood-pressure-reducing medication. Thus, because the living subject's blood pressure is kept at normal levels by medication, a blood pressure measurement will not reveal if the underlying condition causing the living subject's high blood pressure is improving.